Grand Family Awakening
20 guys, 20 cloaks, and a huge family bonfire!
Twenty men pull on twenty white cloaks and gather around one enormous fire. No schedule, no speeches — just time together. Fire safety and local rules still apply.
The roster
125 Names, One Grand Family
Robert leads the family and rides up front. Everyone else is listed with their age — sixteen to seventy-five — because on this trip, your age is your ticket to a seat beside someone who has lived a little more, or a little less.
Robert, Kai, Callan, Gavin and Josh are all 16 and travel with parental consent — accompanied by their parents, as every under-18 traveler must be.
125 of 125 shown
- Grand Family LeaderROBERTAge 16
- Grand FamilyKAIAge 16
- Grand FamilyCALLANAge 16
- Grand FamilyGAVINAge 16
- Grand FamilyJOSHAge 16
- Grand FamilyAMARAAge 31
- Grand FamilyELENAAge 68
- Grand FamilyMARCUSAge 52
- Grand FamilyPRIYAAge 19
- Grand FamilyDESMONDAge 74
- Grand FamilySOFIAAge 22
- Grand FamilyHIROAge 39
- Grand FamilyNIAAge 18
- Grand FamilyWALTERAge 71
- Grand FamilyBIANCAAge 44
- Grand FamilyTARIQAge 28
- Grand FamilyLUCIAAge 60
- Grand FamilyEMMETTAge 33
- Grand FamilyAIYANAAge 55
- Grand FamilyFELIXAge 21
- Grand FamilyROSAAge 66
- Grand FamilyOMARAge 37
- Grand FamilyGRACEAge 72
- Grand FamilyDIEGOAge 29
- Grand FamilyINGRIDAge 63
- Grand FamilyKWAMEAge 41
- Grand FamilyMEIAge 25
- Grand FamilyARTHURAge 70
- Grand FamilyZARAAge 20
- Grand FamilyTERRENCEAge 58
- Grand FamilyCAMILAAge 34
- Grand FamilyJONAHAge 47
- Grand FamilyESTHERAge 75
- Grand FamilyMALIKAge 30
- Grand FamilyIRISAge 61
- Grand FamilyNADIAAge 26
- Grand FamilyHUGOAge 69
- Grand FamilyAALIYAHAge 18
- Grand FamilySTANLEYAge 67
- Grand FamilyPRIYANKAAge 32
- Grand FamilyCALEBAge 35
- Grand FamilyROSALINDAge 64
- Grand FamilyELIAge 22
- Grand FamilyYUSUFAge 48
- Grand FamilyWANDAAge 73
- Grand FamilyTHEOAge 19
- Grand FamilyMARISOLAge 43
- Grand FamilyGRADYAge 56
- Grand FamilySIMONEAge 27
- Grand FamilyRAVIAge 31
- Grand FamilyOPALAge 70
- Grand FamilyMILESAge 24
- Grand FamilyFATIMAAge 59
- Grand FamilyBYRONAge 51
- Grand FamilyJUNIEAge 65
- Grand FamilyOSKARAge 33
- Grand FamilyDELIAAge 62
- Grand FamilyNATEAge 28
- Grand FamilyTERESAAge 57
- Grand FamilyISAACAge 20
- Grand FamilyHOLLISAge 49
- Grand FamilyNOORAge 23
- Grand FamilyCURTISAge 66
- Grand FamilyAMELIAAge 39
- Grand FamilyJAYLENAge 18
- Grand FamilyGRETAAge 71
- Grand FamilySANTIAGOAge 36
- Grand FamilyMABELAge 74
- Grand FamilyROMANAge 25
- Grand FamilyLEILAAge 44
- Grand FamilyDEANAge 53
- Grand FamilyANOUKAge 30
- Grand FamilyRUBENAge 60
- Grand FamilyCHEYENNEAge 21
- Grand FamilyERNIEAge 72
- Grand FamilyKENJIAge 42
- Grand FamilyDANIELLEAge 34
- Grand FamilyALFONSOAge 68
- Grand FamilySADIEAge 19
- Grand FamilyPERCYAge 63
- Grand FamilyHANAAge 26
- Grand FamilyOSWALDAge 70
- Grand FamilyMIRAAge 29
- Grand FamilyCLINTAge 50
- Grand FamilyYARAAge 22
- Grand FamilyBRAMAge 46
- Grand FamilyVERNAAge 73
- Grand FamilyTOBIASAge 27
- Grand FamilyLYRICAge 18
- Grand FamilyMERLEAge 69
- Grand FamilySANAAge 32
- Grand FamilyGUSAge 58
- Grand FamilyAVERYAge 24
- Grand FamilyCLEOAge 40
- Grand FamilyRUFUSAge 67
- Grand FamilyBENNETTAge 31
- Grand FamilyHALIMAAge 56
- Grand FamilyCOLTAge 20
- Grand FamilyMARGIEAge 75
- Grand FamilyEZRAAge 35
- Grand FamilyTRUDYAge 64
- Grand FamilyROLANDAge 61
- Grand FamilyKEZIAAge 23
- Grand FamilyNEILAge 48
- Grand FamilyPOPPYAge 25
- Grand FamilyWILBURAge 72
- Grand FamilyADAEZEAge 28
- Grand FamilySORENAge 38
- Grand FamilyCORALAge 43
- Grand FamilyLIONELAge 66
- Grand FamilyCYRUSAge 52
- Grand FamilyNELLAge 68
- Grand FamilyANDREAge 30
- Grand FamilyWRENAge 21
- Grand FamilySAMIRAge 45
- Grand FamilyODETTEAge 62
- Grand FamilyTRENTAge 37
- Grand FamilyLULAAge 74
- Grand FamilyFINNAge 24
- Grand FamilyBETHANYAge 41
- Grand FamilyMATEOAge 36
- Grand FamilyEVELYNAge 65
- Grand FamilyJASPERAge 24
- Grand FamilyDOROTHYAge 75
- Grand FamilyIMANIAge 42
Youth: 16–34 · Middle years: 35–54 · Elders: 55–75
More than a roadtrip
Youth Ride Beside Elders —
This Is an Education, Not Just a Drive
Every young person on the trip is paired with an elder. The pair travels together, eats together and talks together, so a lifetime of lived experience is passed down mile by mile. Put two people the same age together and they can swap stories — but the difference in generations is an opportunity to learn from each other.
Sample pairings
RobertAGE 16
59 YRS
EstherAGE 75
KaiAGE 16
59 YRS
MargieAGE 75
CallanAGE 16
58 YRS
DesmondAGE 74
GavinAGE 16
58 YRS
MabelAGE 74
JoshAGE 16
58 YRS
LulaAGE 74
NiaAGE 18
55 YRS
WandaAGE 73
Sample pairings are matched across generations to encourage sharing experience.
Under 18? Come With a Parent.
Kids under 18 are welcome on the roadtrip and at every Grand Family event — but only with parental consent and only if they stay with their parents the whole time.
Anyone can join. Anyone can sign up.
No invitation, no membership card, no age limit for adults. If you show up ready to listen and ready to share, there is a seat in the Grand Family.
SIGN UP FOR THE GRAND FAMILYBeyond the roadtrip
The Other Grand
Family Events
The roadtrip is one chapter. These are the rest of them — and anyone can come to any of the Grand Family events, for free, forever.
FREE FOR ALLNO TICKET. NO FEE. NO CATCH.
Grand Family Island Adventure
100 people, no rules, and a ton of fun!
A whole island, a wooden playground on the sand, and a hundred family members enjoying the day from sunrise until sunset. Safety rules and parental supervision still apply.
Grand Family Sleepover
100 people, 1 bed, and staying up the entire night!
One bed, one hundred people, and a bedroom packed wall to wall. Nobody actually sleeps — that's the entire point. Plenty of safe, suitable sleeping space would be needed for a real event.
Every Grand Family event is free and open to anyone — the roadtrip, the awakening, the island, the sleepover. Bring a friend, bring a grandparent, bring both.
One rule travels with all of them: travelers under 18 stay with their parents the whole time. Everything else is about getting to know each other.
The Grand Family Higherup
Meet James, the
Grand Family Higherup
James is the one who started all of this. He drives the van, he knows everybody's name, and he has never once asked a person their age before handing them a plate.
All he wants is to bring people together — no matter their age, gender, or race. Young and old in the same seat, strangers at breakfast and family by dinner. That is the whole mission, and he has never needed a second one.
“Everybody's got something to teach, and everybody's got something to learn. Put them in the same van and let the road do the rest.”— JAMES
Join the Grand Family
Anyone Can Join. Sign Up With Your Email.
Drop your email to get ready for Grand Family roadtrip news, event dates, and wisdom pairings. Free, always. Under 18? Sign up with a parent, since you'll be staying with them the whole time.